Tomorrows Heroes of Yesterday
by Luke78
Summary: Several hundred years after the age of heroes, Emporer Lex Luthor rules firm over a nearly barren world after having taken great pains to eliminate all traces of the heroes.  A young slave named Kent however, has a destiny to embrace. Reviews welcomed!
1. Chapter 1

**Tomorrows Heroes of Yesterday**

Chapter 1

Less Than Heroic

_Crack! Crack! Crack!_ Echoed the endless sound of stone being struck by man made tools. It was sound all who grew up and lived enslaved in the Undermine came to know very, very well. So used to it were they that in its occasional absence, the silence was deafening. The mine itself was home to several thousand residents; all of them slaves to Emperor Luthor.

It was a world of darkness, no sunlight ever graced the skin of those living down here. Most only heard from stories passed down through the generations about the outside world with its brightness. No, the Undermine slaves were a sad, miserable disease ridden lot. Few saw life even to thirty, that is for those few that made it through childhood.

The Undermine was not a true mine, in the sense that its workers did not mine for ore or mineral deposits, but for energy. A very long time ago, Emperor Luthor discovered a process to turn the earths lava flow into usable energy through a machine that transformed it into a hard, dark substance that then had to be chiseled away into smaller chunks to be carted to the domed city of Metropolis, the last vestige of the world that once was.

Into this dark, underground world devoid of hope and joy, a young man with a destiny grew up.

"Kent!" He heard the guard yell. The tall, muscular man with the curly dark hair had let his eyes wander once more to his 'friend' Loren. Then he felt the sting of the guards whip across his bare back. Another swollen red welt.

"Sorry, sir, wont happen again."

"That's what you said last time."

He caught Loren's deep, brown eyes glancing his way, then she looked away her cheeks turning red in embarrassment. Loren was a beauty, by any standard. Like all the workers below, she was lean and in good shape, but she had wild dark hair and soft pink lips. She had a light in her eyes that even the overseers could not extinguish with their beatings.

She passed slowly by him, carrying a basket of energy ore and whispered, "Careful, Cal, I don't want you to get hurt." He let his eyes trail her form as she wandered off, she had the simple tattered clothes of all the folk down here but to Cal, she looked like a princess.

_Whap!_ Another sharp sting across his back reminded him of where he was. "I warned you, boy."

Kent turned his steely gaze to the guard. Through gritted teeth he replied, "Yes sir."

The guard smiled. "Ya know, Kent, I do gotta say…you got good taste. That girl is something, even if she is an animal like the rest of you." Kent continued to push the massive wheelbarrow up the steep incline. He glanced back to the guard once more.

The guard was no longer noticing Kent, his attention was on the young woman. The guard rubbed his chin. "Ya know…in fact…I'll be back in a few minutes…"

The guard went over to Loren as she finished emptying the container of ore into the next wheelbarrow. He gripped her arm and puller her with him. "What??!!" She screamed. No one seemed to pay attention to her. This sort of thing was fairly common after all. The guard smacked her hard in the face.

"Do NOT struggle with me girl, come with me now and it will be…easier on you."

Her eyes clearly showed her horror at the prospect. "Please! Don't! Please!"

The guard seemed to enjoy her protests. But not for long. A strong hand gripped his collar from behind and pulled him roughly away to land hard on his rear. The slaves around laughed and gasped in horror all at once.

"You will not touch her." Kent said coolly.

The guard slowly rose to his feet. "Boy, you just made the worst mistake…the last mistake of your miserable little life." The guard dropped the whip and drew out his painstick. The painstick sparked with blue and white energy. It was a long, thin baton type weapon charged to attack the targets nervous system. Used sparingly it can easily incapacitate its victim; used heavily it can cause permanent damage and even a very painful death.

He approached the big man, sparking stick waving back and forth in front of him. Kent quickly reached for a nearby pick and deflected the guards first swing easily. Kent though, was no fighter, and Luthor's guards were fairly well trained and outfitted. Within moments the guard had Kent on the retreat. Deflecting the pick out to the side, the guard smacked Kent in the shoulder with the painstick. Blue and white energy arced into his body causing his body to convulse. He groaned in agony. The guard held the stick harder against the big man. He leaned in close. "I'm gonna enjoy your little girlfriend there Kent…and I think I'll let my buddies play too…"

With a roar of rage Kent headbutted the guard, cracking the visor shield on his helmet. The guard stumbled back. Kent swung the pick in an uppercut, ripping into the guards chest armor and sending him sprawling back. The painstick fell from his grasp as he landed on the ground. Kent hurled the pick at the man as he began to rise, forcing him to duck down, then the big man dove to the side and picked up the painstick. He rushed quickly to the slowly rising guard and pinned him face down against the dirt. "Let's see how you like it!" He roared the shoved the painstick, still sparking, down the back of the guards armored tunic, right in the center, where he couldn't reach it to dislodge it.

Standing, Kent watched in grim satisfaction as the man writhed and convulsed on the ground. The next thing he knew they were swarmed with Luthor guards and he blasted into unconsciousness.

Meanwhile:

From the top of the world, everything seemed small. From this…lesser office…he could see his tower, yet somehow he felt so far removed from it. He hated to make these personal visits but for this particular 'businessman' he was meeting, he would make an exception. He ran his hand over his smooth scalp then smoothed the lines of his cream colored suit.

"Mr. Luthor." He heard the less than enthusiastic voice say. He also noted with disdain the use of the word 'mister'. That would have to be corrected.

Always the cordial lord, however, Emperor Luthor turned to great the man. He was a well built young man, approaching thirty. He had dark hair and eyes and wore a nice navy blue suit. He was always well dressed. Luthor forced a friendly smile and reached his hand down to shake that of the man he head come to see, who reached up from his hover chair. "Bruce." Luthor said by way of greeting.

Bruce hovered his chair back behind the desk in his office. Luthor nodded to his Elite Guard's that had been waiting with him and they went outside. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of the lord of the world visiting me today?"

Again, Luthor noted the disdainful tone of voice. Luthor smiled cordially once more and dropped a small cube on the desk that displayed a holographic slide show of imaged captured earlier that morning. There was fire and explosions, appeared to be a warehouse of some sort.

Bruce looked on uninterested. Luthor said as he sat down across the desk. "Do you know what that is?"

Bruce blinked. "A hollowcube?"

All traces of humor drained from Luthor's face leaving behind a hollow and frightening visage. "Those images were taken this morning at Luthorcorp warehouse number 14. That is the fourth such warehouse destroyed mysteriously in the past year. I don't suppose you would have any idea how such a thing could happen, do you Mr. Grayson?"

Bruce shrugged. "Faulty wiring?" Luthor's eyes narrowed. Suddenly he stood. His grin returned, and somehow that was even more disconcerting. Luthor turned back to the large window.

"Few people recall the old, old days. Back when heroes existed and I…was not emperor. But I do, Mr. Grayson, I was there. You know of them too. From your family lineage. Where were you between one hundred and three hundred hours this morning, Mr. Grayson?"

"At home." He said evenly. "With my wife and children." Luthor nodded.

"And how are the little ones, hmm? Barbara is almost an adult now isn't she? And little Gordon…why, he must be in his teens now too." Luthor asked with an almost believable amount of warmth in his voice.

"Yeah, that's right. Barbara is learning the business, Gordon wants to do something sport related but…" he let the thought trail off.

"But? Oh that's right…the people in your family tend to have…accidents by the time they reach adulthood…pity, that." Luthor turned his dark gaze to the hover-chair bound man.

With eyes still downcast Bruce responded, "I know of the agreement, Luthor. I'll honor it. But please, my kids…"

Luthor then, actually laughed. "You know, no matter how long I live nor how many generations of your family I deal with…it never fails…each and every one of you says the same things to me. 'Oh please LORD Luthor! Please, do whatever to me but oh, not my children! LORD Luthor'" Luthor laughed again as he put the emphasis on his title, to remind Buce he was the Lord, not just 'mister'.

"What a whiny bunch of…" Luthor sighed as he sat on the edge of Bruce's desk. "Look, if you don't want your kids to suffer like you have…don't have kids! It's that simple. It's only through the agreement I made with…I don't know, Bruce Grayson the fourth? Fifth? I forget which one, you all blend together after a while, but it's only through that agreement that you even exist. Do you know you are the only family line connected to the heroes of old that I didn't have completely eradicated? You should feel honored. Now, heres what I want you to do. Assuming you are telling me the truth and the explosions do, in fact, have nothing to do with you, well then you shouldn't have any qualms about helping me locate those responsible, right? So find them, bring them to me to be executed. You have…lets say…two weeks to do this. If not, well, little miss Barbara's upcoming accident might just be of the kind she can't even crawl away from, understand?"

Burce looked away for fear he would try to strangle the dictator to death then and there.

As Luthor stepped from the office one of his elite agents came to him carrying a hand held com unit. "Lord, there has been an incident at one of the mines."

Luthor walked down the hall, his agents in tow. "So? They can deal with it."

"Sir, a guard was severely injured by a slave…"

"Again I say, so, they can deal with it, he will be executed end of story."

"But sir, this slave, I thought you might want to see…"

Luthor sighed deeply and pivoted on his heel to face the agent. "What, pray tell, is so damned important about this slave?"

"His name, sir," the guard choked out hurriedly. "It popped up on your old secret file list."

Luthor narrowed his brow. "What?" He took the com unit and looked at it. "I'll be damned…agent, go take care of this one personally. No screw ups, understand?"

"Yes sir, on my way sir."

From his office Bruce watched his monitor with fascination. He zoomed the screen in to see the mini com unit Luthor held and the name displayed there. Calvin Kent. "Fascinating."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Sunlit Freedom**

Every inch of his body throbbed with pain. The guards had a good time with young Calvin Kent. They spent a good twenty minutes out of each hour to beat him severely. His breath rattled in his chest as blood poured down his face from more cuts than he could count. Purple and black marks covered his bare chest, back and shoulders; some were mere bruises, some were burn marks from their pain sticks. Kent believed they would soon beat him to death. He was uncertain why they hadn't already.

"Cal…oh Cal…I'm so sorry. It's all my fault you are in this!" He heard Loren's sweet voice calling him through the bars.

With a groan he looked up to see her deep brown eyes looking at him. One of his eyes was swollen shut and the other was half blinded with blood, but still he could see her sweet face. He would have seen it even if his eyes were closed. He coughed up blood and spat it to the side.

"Why…" his raspy voice creaked out, " why haven't they killed me yet?"

"I don't know. I heard something about someone special coming from Metropolis to do it. I don't know why though. There has to be a way out of this, Cal."

His mind reeled. Why would it a simple slave execution require the attention of Metropolis? "How?" He asked, "Should I bend the bars and fly us out of here?"

Loren attempted to smile. "You know…Cal, I never got a chance to tell you this before." She was fidgeting in her lap and looking down.

"What?" Cal creaked out.

She swallowed hard. "It's just, well, I want you to know that I, well, I" They could hear booted feet and voices approaching.

She leaned in against the bars quickly and planted a gentle kiss against Cal's busted lips and whispered. "I love you…"

Just like that she was gone and he heard the gate being pulled open and rough hands grab him under his arms.

"Damned Metropolis 'Elite' pansies…afraid of coming into the dark down here." On e of the guards complained.

"Yeah, it's not like we couldn't have killed him down here ourselves, no this high and mighty elite bastard has to come and make drag this ones sorry carcass up to the surface jus the can kill him."

Cal's mind was having difficulty focusing. It did seem as though they were taking him to the surface. He realized he had never seen the surface, never seen this glowing orb of light and heat out there they call the sun. A shame his first view of it would be his last.

As they slowly drug the barely conscious man's body through the mine, the slaves all stopped to look. Most everyone liked young Calvin Kent. He was strong and tough, a very hard worker with a good sense to him. Yes, he was well liked, that's how these people would remember him as he would soon be dead. A nice young man, good worker, a good friend. Many shed tears, particularly Loren.

Through the first gate they went. Then the upper gate and Cal started to see the slight go up ahead of the surface. Strangely, he realized, he began feeling a little better. Odd, considering that his death was fast approaching. Exiting the mine cavern, the bright light assaulted his eyes. They stung with the brightness as he was unaccustomed to it. Yet, he felt good standing out there. His breathing came easier and it seemed the blood flow from his cuts stopped. He briefly wondered if he wasn't getting delirious from the blood loss.

The guards continued dragging him, though he was capable of walking himself now. They took him into a small shed and dropped him in a chair. The guard saluted the uniformed man standing in there then turned and left. The man, dressed in a gray knee length coat with black pants and form fitting black shirt beneath turned to the disheveled young man. He removed his dark glasses as he looked at the pathetic creature before him.

"You know, " he began in voice filled with quiet assuredness. "I can't tell if you're brave or just extremely stupid. For whatever reason you are on Lord Luthors hit list. And what do you do? You go and pick a fight with a guard over some stupid girl? Hell, when you're dead, I'm sure all the guards here will be having fun with that girl just for spite. I might even myself. Of course, that's assuming they aren't already. So, instead of keeping quite and letting the guard have his fun, you get yourself killed and girlfriend becomes everyone favorite toy. That's it; I've decided…you are stupid."

The elite guard drew his pistol from it holster at his shoulder and pointed it at young Kent's head. Both of his eyes were now open and he glared with every ounce of hatred he could at the man. He pulled the trigger. The magnetically accelerated shell exited the chamber. Things around Cal seemed to slow greatly. He looked around in wonder for a brief moment, then he reacted.

Before the shell could strike him, young Kent moved sideways off of his chair in a blur of movement. The mag-shot shell exploded through the back of the chair and then through the wall. Cal grabbed the elite agent's wrist and squeezed. A loud pop resonated from his shattered wrist as the weapon fell to the ground from the broken appendage. A sharp hook with his free hand sent the agent flying through the air and crashing through the other side of the shed. He lay unmoving in the dirt. Cal quickly gathered his equipment. Security pass, weapon, even his clothes. Then he found the activation key to the agent's vehicle.

He spotted the machine sitting off to the side. It was a two wheel vehicle with a small covered pilots compartment. The wheels were fairly wide with all terrain spikes on them. The pilot rode it by straddling the primary seat and leaning forward where sat handle bars of a sort. It was a sandy tan color, Cal had heard it called a hyper bike.

There was some unfinished business first, he realized, before he could leave. He looked up into the bright sunny sky and smiled as it made him feel so good. He realized he had no more pain anywhere and a quick check revealed his injuries were all nearly gone. "What in the world is going on?"

He shrugged, giving up on understanding it. Instead, he strode back down the mine. He approached the first set of guards at the upper gate. From a distance, they thought it was the agent. As he neared them, however, they recognized his face. "Open fire!" one called and both drew their weapons to fire at him from some thirty feet away.

Their fingers never squeezed the triggers. Cal was there in a second and the guards went flying hard against the rocky walls. He neared the lower gate. Four guards stood watch here and they were faster to recognize him. Gunfire rang out in the tunnel. Cal dodged and weaved as the bullets whizzed fast, his speed greater than theirs.

A right cross took out the first guard he rushed to. Spinning around the next shots he disarmed the guard then sent him flying with a punch to the chest. Rushing forward her cracked the next ones helmet with a left uppercut. The last guard dropped his gun and ran screaming up the passage. Cal smiled grimly.

Then he was in the heart of the mine. Guards came rushing him with painsticks and whips. The first one swung the sparking blue stick at him. He blocked the mans forearm with his own then grabbed it and bent it back under him jabbing it into his abdomen dropping him to the ground. He then kicked backwards striking the oncoming guard in the chest and flinging back into one of the wheelbarrows flipping it over. A whip snapped across his back and it felt like a fly landing to young Cal. He spun and grabbed the whip in his hand. He yanked it and spun the guard around over his head before throwing him more than fifty feet up the tunnel.

On it went. Guards would come at him with sticks and whips and he would drop them with ease. His eyes narrowed as he centered in on the guard who had originally attacked Loren. The last guard standing. Cal nearly sneered at him.

"Cal??!!" Loren called running up to him. He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her deeply.

As they parted he said, "I'm fine. Better than fine, actually, tell everyone to get out of here. They are all free. Tell them to take what they want from this place, from the guards, because it wont be here for long.

Cal slowly stalked this one. Cal allowed him to back himself up all the way against the massive converter that pumped the magma out. Cal noticed that he wasn't even sweating in this chamber. Interesting. "Please, Cal, I, uh, don't know what's goin on with you but, I uh, well, I'm sorry okay…please, please don't kill me!" The guard fell to his knees by the converter. Cal's nose picked up the distinct odor of the man urinating on himself.

Cal gripped him by his neck and raised him from the ground. He thrust him hard against the metal of the converter. Taking apart some wires from the machine, causing it to beep menacingly, he tied the man to the converter then picked up one of the still hot energy ore stones in his hand. He paced away up the incline, languidly tossing the stone up in the air and catching it.

"Pease Cal!" he pleaded, screaming in fear. Tears ran down his cheeks.

Cal responded coldly. "Funny, you sound just like Loren when she pleaded for your mercy. You had none, remember?"

"Please, please I learned my lesson! Please, don't kill me!"

Cal spun on him, mag-shot pistol in his hand pointed at the guard. "I'm not going to kill you…" the guard breathed sigh of relief then Cal threw the energy ore fragment back towards the tied man, "…the explosion will." He squeezed the trigger.

Activating his newfound speed powers, Cal turned and ran up the mine shaft as the massive explosion triggered a cave in. Fast though he was, still he felt the fiery fingers of the blast on his heals and the stones falling all around him. He dove and seemed to fly for a moment as the cavern collapsed behind him. He landed on his stomach out on the barren ground. Cheers erupted around him as he stood, facing the former slaves. Loren came to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"What now?" She asked.

He looked at her and shrugged. "I suggest all of you find somewhere to go. I can't help you all. I'm…I'm going north, and I'm taking the bike. Loren will come with me but I think they will be after me more than the rest of you so it would be safer if you all went south or something. Find an old town or something and rebuild it. Start a new life."

Most looked confused, but several did as they were told. They stripped the guards and their shacks of whatever they could find to use and the started to make their way south. Cal went to the bike and pressed the activation key against it. The pilot compartment opened and he smiled. He gave Loren a kiss then climbed on to the machine, telling her to 'hop on'. She climbed on behind him. He activated the machine and its powerful engine roared to life. The pilots compartment closed around them.

"Do you know how to pilot this thing?" She asked.

"No idea." He pressed the accelerator and the machine took off in a cloud of dust, roaring north.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**You can go home again**

Bruce hurriedly packed his vehicle, a large dark gray hover pod with a rear lowering ramp. He darted back and forth in his chair moving bags and containers. He heard the footsteps coming in the background before he saw his daughter.

"Dad? What are you doing?", Barbara Grayson asked as she entered the garage area of their modest home in Metropolis. She was just over average height with thick wavy auburn hair and light blue eyes. She always reminded Bruce of her mother…that is, before the woman ran out on them when she learned of the ages old agreement with Luthor.

Bruce smiled at the girl, no, realized, not a girl any longer, a young woman. "I have to go on a little trip." He said in response.

"Where?"

"Out…to the wastelands." He said quickly.

Barbara stared at him dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me? Dad, it's dangerous out there!"

Bruce smiled warmly at her concern. "Don't worry, sweetheart, dear old dad may be in a wheelchair, but he still knows how to defend himself."

Barbara glanced around for a moment then went to her dad and hugged him tight. At first he assumed it was just a sign of her affection, then he realized she was being smart and attempting to avoid any Luthor listening devices around.

"Dad…does this have anything to do with that warehouse thing?"

"Warehouse thing?" he replied back.

She sighed, "Yeah, Gordon and I, well, we kinda sorta happened upon some blueprints you had…and then that warehouse goes boom and all…and now you taking off. Just kinda coincidental and all."

He stared hard at the young woman and she avoided his gaze quickly. "Sorry, dad."

"No, no, don't be." In fact he was impressed by her deduction. "Tell you what. I need to go out to the wasteland to try and locate someone. You go round up your brother, you two are coming with me."

Somewhere out in the Wasteland:

The little hyper bike sped through the dirt, kicking up a trail of dust behind it as it went. Loren sat behind Cal, her arms wrapped tightly about his waste. She was floored by the turn of events recently. From slave girl to free girl running around with the man she loved who apparently had some kind of super powers.

For Cal's part, he was trying to figure out his newfound gifts. He realized he could move fast and had remarkable strength and he knew some of those guards blows had landed on him but left no marks. For some reason, the sun seemed to make him feel strong and powerful, perhaps that was why he hadn't had these abilities before; never had the light of the sun graced his skin before the day that agent came looking for him.

Regardless, they were now heading north, and Cal didn't even know why he chose that direction it was completely random. He did know, however, that they soon needed to find some food if they were going to make it any further. Loren's rumbling stomach was so loud it was giving him a headache. Suddenly he slide the bike to a stop.

"What is it?" asked Loren.

He slid the pilots compartment back and sat up. "Look. What is that?" He asked, pointing up ahead.

Loren looked and saw some sort of man made wall structure stretched between two massive boulders. There was a large wooden gat in the center and she could just barely make out movement on the top.

"People…" she breathed.

Cal slowly rolled the bike up to the gate. A gunshot rang out against the heavy bike. "Stop where ya are, Metro-trash. Luthor ain't got no claim here. Tell yer master he can kiss our hairy a…"

"Wait, sir, you misunderstand…we aren't with Luthor, or from Metropolis for that matter." Cal spoke up.

"Yeah? Then why come you got one of their bikes? And yer dressed like Luthor's lackeys?"

He thought for a moment then decided if these people were no friends of the ones that tried to kill him, no reason he shouldn't be truthful. "We escaped from a mine…I took these things from an agent sent there to try and kill me."

"Well why didn't ya say so! Come on in!" Cal smiled widely and went to do just that. Stopping short when another gunshot struck the ground in front of him.

"We ain't stupid, boy, can't nobody escape from Luthors goons like that. Carry your no good carcass on out of here afore I have to put a bullet in your head."

"Look, sir, we are tired, hungry, and running. Trust me when I say I can be of help to you if you just let us in and feed us a little."

The guard laughed and adjusted his wide brimmed hat. "Yer serious? Look, boy, we ain't hardly got enough here to feed ourselves much less two strangers with wild stories. So…git." Another gunshot to the dirt.

The man was shocked though to see that Cal was no longer anywhere to be seen. He turned as he felt a tap on his shoulder. Standing there mere inches from him on the wall was Cal. "How in the…"

Cal knocked the gun from his hand then gripped him by his collar and raised him high in the air. "See? That's how we got away from the mine. And I'm certain you folks cane come with some things a man of my talents can help with around here. Feed us, bath us, get Loren some fresh clothes, and I will do whatever I can to help you folks."

The man hastily agreed. The gate was open and quickly Cal was down by Loren's side again, leading his bike into the town. The place was a mess of myriad ramshackle homes bit from scrounged wood and some stone. It sure didn't look like much. "What do you call this place?" Cal asked as they walked slowly down the dirt road with everyone in town glancing their way.

The man, who had introduced himself simply as Earl, replied, "Smallville."

Luthor Tower:

Fascinating. Luthor switched of his monitor and turned to look out of his window over the city. Bruce had just asked permission to leave the dome to follow a lead on the explosion at his warehouse the day before. Clearly, the man was lying to him but Luthor always loved intrigue so he allowed the man to exit. He sighed deeply to himself. Hasn't it been long enough? Can't people just accept this better way of life now instead of trying to cause trouble? Shame, that.

He pressed a button on his chair. In walked on of his Elite guards; Frank or Marshall, or something…he never paid attention to names. "Your comrade has not reported in." It was a statement, not a question.

"No, sir." Luthor nodded without turning to face his agent.

"Also, a vehicle just left the dome."

"Yes, sir." The agent was thinking that Luthor had a remarkable command of the obvious.

Luthor sighed again. "Must I spell my wishes out? Really, don't you people understand by now? Find out what happened to your companion and have someone follow that vehicle in secrecy…do you understand now, Jeremiah?"

"It's Allen, sir."

Luthor spun in his char in anger, "I don't care if it's Santa Claus! Just do as your told!"

"Santa Claus, sir? What's that?"

Luthor rose and drew a mag-shot pistol from under his desk and fired it at the agent, splattering his skull. He sat back down and rang the button on his chair again. Another agent wandered in shortly. This one looked in horror at the body of his friend on the floor.

"Go find out what happened to the agent I sent to the mine the other day and have someone follow Grayson's vehicle in secret. Understand?"

"Sir, yes sir."

Luthor smiled, "Much better." He ran a hand over his smooth scalp. "Oh, and be a dear and have someone clean up the mess poor Max here made." He gestured to the agent's body on the floor.

A Day Later:

He had landed the small craft just outside of the now caved in entrance to the mine. He slowly moved his hover chair around the outskirts. There were several bodies of guards laying strewn about being picked at by carrion birds and one agent, apparently thrown through the wall of the building on the outskirts of the mine.

"Fascinating…" Bruce muttered.

"Dad, look at this." Barbara called. Gordon peered his little face out at them from the window of the pod.

"What is it?"

"Footprints, lots of them, going, um, kinda southeastish?" she stammered.

He nodded to her. She was sharp. She continued, "I guess that's the way we should go to find whoever you're looking for."

He smiled then shook his head no. "No, look around Barbara. The agent would have come on one their bikes, right? Do you see it anywhere around?"

She looked all over. "No…"

"Right, now, do you see any tracks?"

She looked around again, kneeling in the dirt at various places. "Yeah, a couple of them, here and here." She pointed.

He nodded again, smiling at her once more.

"Now, assuming he came more or less straight from Metropolis…"

"That would be these tracks…" Barbara followed, "Then whoever took off with the bike went that way…northish."

He smiled widely. "Exactly, sweetheart, brilliant."

They climbed back in the pod, but not before doing what they could to obscure the evidence they had found. In a moment, they little gray pod hovered in the air and streaked north.

Smallville:

Cal was right, the populace certainly had some jobs for him. He rebuilt damage roofs, constructed newer walls and laid irrigation trenches for crops. He would finish one job only to find two more waiting for him. Fast, strong, and hard worker though he was there was always something else for him to do.

Finally, just after dusk, he was allowed to stop and breath. Earl provided him with a place to take a shower and a change of clothes to get him out of the agent wear he had been wearing thus far. It was simple faded blue jeans and a checkered red and dark blue flannel shirt. He sat in the lower room of the small common house, though many people wanted to come meet the man with super powers that had done more work for their little community in a day than they could have done in a month, Earl made certain to give them some privacy and blocked any other people from entering the building.

He hadn't seen Loren all day since he started working, and was anxious to. He was not disappointed. She nearly floated down the stairs from the upper rooms of the place where clearly she had made a great deal of effort to clean herself up. Her hair was thick, wavy and shined softly in the candlelight. She wore makeup for the first time in her life, and her lips looked even softer than usual. She wore a simple light blue gown that hugged her figure in just the right way and draped down to her knees. Cal was speechless.

"Uh, you, uh, that is, you're uh…" he stammered. She blushed. He swallowed hard and stood. "I meant to say, you are beautiful, Loren."

She smiled. "Thank you."

They ate the best meal of their lives. Pork, biscuits, and corn…Cal had never tasted anything so good in his life. The kitchen help quickly cleaned up then wound up the small generator and it began creaking out some music. It was slow and rhythmic. Loren stood and offered Cal her hand.

"Care to dance?" she said coyly.

"Dance? I don't know how to." He said apologetically.

"That's okay, just stand up and hold me."

He did just that, holding Loren close; they swayed from side to side to the music. The kitchen help made their way out and locked up, leaving them alone. He kissed her forehead. She tilted her head back and their lips touched. After they kissed for a moment, she pulled back and smiled.

"You know, Cal…I love you."

He smiled, "I love you too."

"You know what else?" She said grinning slyly. He shrugged. She continued, "We're alone…and we have a room upstairs…"

He looked at her and his jaw nearly dropped. She nodded. He smiled and lifted her in his arms, in a blur they sped up the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**History's Present**

Cal was truly happy for the first time in his young life. He saw the rays of the morning sun shining through the curtains of the small room he shared with Loren. She rested, wrapped in his arms, a contended smile on her face. He kissed her head and stroked her hair. She began to wake, soft sounds coming from her slightly parted lips as she stretched out on the small mattress.

"Good morning." He said to her with a smile.

"Good morning." She said back through her stretching and yawning.

"I suppose I should get up and get to work. I'm certain these folks are expecting more for their great hospitality."

She pouted a little, "Not yet, honey. Lay with me for a little bit longer." It didn't take much to convince him.

As the two lay there, entwined in one another's arms and joy, Loren brought up something on her mind. "Cal…I think we should stay here. Like, for good. You know, settle down, start a life, raise a family…"

He looked at her curiously. "There is something…warm and inviting about this place, huh? You know, except for Earl." They shared a chuckle.

Loren raised herself up on one arm, her head supported with her hand. "I did some checking, Cal. This old lady in town, she told me there is a very old farm on the outskirts of town. The town would let us have it for free, she thinks. You could be such a big help to these people, and you could rebuild that farm in no time. She says it's been abandoned for a few hundred years, so I'm sure it's in rough shape…but still, it's something. Oh and that lady is very excited to meet you."

Cal smiled, "We just barely escape a mine with our lives and already you have us settled down and growing crops. You realize neither of us know a thing about farming or growing stuff, right?"

"Sure we do," she shot back, "In the most barren of places, down deep in that mine, we planted the seeds of love and now, they've become a great harvest…"

Cal erupted in laughter. "You know, that has to be the corniest thing I think I have ever heard."

Loren giggled, "Yeah, it is, isn't it?" In moments they were once again wrapped up in each others arms and all thoughts about the farm and the town were soon far from their minds.

Metropolis:

"Lord Luthor?" the Elite Agent started as he entered the Emperor of the World's chamber. The cleaners did a good job removing the traces of the blood and brain splatter, he noted. Then swallowed hard.

"What is it, Max?" Luthor asked from his desk as he reviewed plans for a new orbital defense system.

"Um, the name is Frank, sir…" Luthor rolled his eyes and cocked his head, hand immediately closing on the grip of his hidden pistol as he prepared to call in the next replacement agent.

Frank, apparently recognized his misstep and corrected, "Sir? The agent we dispatched yesterday? I have a report sir."

Luthor relaxed his grip on the pistol. "Go ahead."

The agent breathed a sigh of relief. "Actually, sir, the two parties we sent out rendezvoused at the same location; the Kansas mine facility."

Luthor leaned back in his massive chair and steepled his fingers. "Now that is interesting. Tell me, what was Mr. Grayson doing there?"

"According to the reports sir, he appeared to be searching for something. There was a great deal of disturbed ground. The mine itself was a complete loss, it was caved in and there were several bodies found in the area, including the first agent you sent out on the special mission."

Luthor was enraged, he sat forward quickly his blazing with anger. "Where did he go?"

Frank gulped hard. "Well, sir, both agent's decided to try and track him. They said that though the ground had been disturbed and obscured, they found traces of several people moving to the east and south and they persued."

Luthor frowned deeply. "Have the agent I sent after Mr. Grayson kill the agent I sent to the mine."

"Sir? Why sir?"

Luthor slowly turned his gaze on the agent in front of him. "For disobeying me. He should have checked in with me for instructions before trotting off in search of Grayson. The other agent is doing his job, what I commanded, but that one…actually, you know what…"

Luthor pulled the pistol forth and shot Frank through the head, making yet another mess on the floor. "Don't question me."

He pressed a button and in walked another agent. "Frank, order the agent tailing Grayson to kill the other agent immediately. And have someone clean Max here up off the floor."

Smallville:

Cal entered the old antique shop on what passed for the main street of the small town. There were a number of rusty old tools and plates and utensils. Cal poked around the place for a few moments, looking for the woman Loren had mentioned among the clutter and dust in this place.

"Can I help you, dear?" creaked a voice sounding as old as the junk in this place.

Cal turned to face the old woman, she was small and slim and bent with whitish blonde hair, yet her gray green eyes still shown with an inner light undiminished by time. "Yes, ma'am, I'm Cal…my friend Loren said you wanted to see me and…"

"Oh yes, yes, of course, please come on in have a seat, let me take a look at you." She led Cal by the hand through the small shop to a old dusty couch in the back. She sat him down then she sat on the edge of the couch next to him. She studied him for a few short moments. He smiled widely to break the awkward silence.

"Here." She said, handing him a small old piece of black metal. "That comes from the mail box that used to sit outside of that little farm your girlfriend is so interested in."

Cal turned the metal over in his hand. It had a single word written on it; Kent. Cal's jaw dropped. "What? How?"

The woman smiled. "Your ancestors used to live there, and mine lived a little ways down the road from that farm."

"Who are you?" He asked.

"My name is Lucille, Lucille Lang."

"Look, Ms. Lang, I'm not sure what it is that you want from me…"

"To embrace your destiny, Mr. Kent. You may well be this worlds only hope for salvation from the evil Lord Luthor."

Cal stoop up quickly. "I don't know what your talking about, Ms. Lang, but I don't have a destiny, I just got lucky and managed to get away from his mine. All Loren and I want is to settle down in this little place and live a nice quiet life…"

"Cal, you are immensely strong and faster than, well, a speeding bullet, and you are tougher than you know. In fact, I'm fairly certain you have even more power than that. Look, the farm out there is yours, I just wanted you to know that it always was. But I believe that you have another birthright entirely, one not necessarily of this world. I also wanted you to know…that I am well aware of the evil in Luthor's heart. You could say that my family and his, are somewhat related. You can stop him. You have the power, you just have to find the desire."

Cal was baking away slowly. "Ma'am, I appreciate your belief's here, but I'm not some destined hero or anything, I'm just a man."

Lucille chuckled, "Cal, you are far more than that, in fact I would hazard a guess that your fairly…super. But, if you are dead set to just bury your head and stay low, what can I do about it? Go, go to your woman and build your farm, but trust me, you aren't free from Luthor just yet."

Meanwhile:

Bruce had stopped his hover pod some distance from the town, knowing a place like this would immediately consider him a threat. He also found it fascinating that the person he was looking for would end up here of all places. He quickly devised a plan. He instructed Barbara and Gordon to go out and gather some supplies for him. In short order he had built some makeshift crutches. To complete his disguise he put dirt in his hair and streaked his face with it, he wore some earth tone clothes and tore them here and there to make look as rough as possible.

"I'll be back shortly." He said to his daughter and son as he made his way out the hatch.

It was very slow going for Bruce, as his legs didn't function at all. He would place a crutch forward then drag his useless appendages behind him as he went. It took him nearly three hours to cross the barely three hundred yard distance to the gate. A gunshot rang out against the ground nearby. Bruce looked up.

"State yer business!" Earl demanded peering down from under his wide brimmed hat.

Bruce croaked out, "Please, I'm a refugee…there was a cave in at a mine south of here. I'm crippled, I'm tired, I'm thirsty, please sir have mercy on me…please…either let me in and help me or shoot me now to put me out of my misery."

Apparently the ruse was successful, in a few short moments the gate swung open allowing him in.

The new Kent farm:

Though he she had seen firsthand more than anyone else just how impressive Cal's abilities were, even she was amazed in the fact that he had the entire house rebuilt in half a day. Loren was thrilled. They stood arm in arm on the front stoop surveying the land.

"I got to get the barn built still and then some irrigation and then we can see if we can find something to plant."

Loren smiled brightly. "What did Lucille want, anyway?"

Cal reached into his pocket and produced the small piece of metal. "To give me this."

Loren looked at it in puzzlement. "I don't understand."

Cal sighed. "She says this farm here used to belong to my family, back before Luthor ruled the world. She says it's destiny that I ended up here and that I have another destiny; to take down Luthor."

Loren looked hard at the piece of metal. "She figured all that from this?"

Cal smiled, "Something like that."

Loren sighed. "Cal, really, if there is anyone on this planet that might have a shot at taking Luthor down, it's you with your powers, but does that mean it's 'destiny' or 'fate' or whatever? I don't know. I do know that I don't want to risk losing you and even if it means we have to live under the yoke of Luthor's rule forever, I would rather that be the case than live this life without the man I love."

An old rusted four wheeled vehicle was making it's way up the driveway. Cal approached cautiously. Earl got out of the drivers seat and went to the passenger's side, helping the crippled man there out as well. Despite his broken body, Cal noted the man was tall and strong regardless.

Cal approached Earl and shook his hand, "Earl, what can I do for you?"

"Cal, nice work here, the place looks great."

"Thanks, it took some work but it should provide a roof over our heads at least." He grinned back.

"This man here comes from the mine you two worked in, he's apparently been trudging through wild since he escaped."

Cal looked at him closely, "I'm afraid I don't recognize you. Usually, I'm pretty good at remembering folks. What did you say your name was?"

"Wayne Malone, Mr. Kent, and I remember you. You will always be the hero of that decrepit place. I was hoping you would take some pity on an old fellow former slave?"

"Um, sure, I think we have a spare place for you to stay, Wayne, and please call me Cal."

Cal didn't exactly trust the man, but for some reason he liked him regardless.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Worlds Finest

After some initial concern, Cal had convinced Loren to allow this Mr. Malone to stay with them at the farm. Though Malone was crippled, he actually proved to be a great help to the young couple. He turned out to be highly intelligent and was able to help Cal plan out the farmlands better. After several days of working together and living together, Cal was considering Wayne as close to a friend as he had.

Sitting on the porch enjoying a sandwich and some water, the pair sat in conversation. "Cal, man, I gotta ask you…these things you do…how does it work?"

Cal shrugged. "I don't know really. I mean, up until a few days ago I couldn't. It wasn't until that agent came to kill me that these…powers surfaced."

Malone nodded. "So, what was different about that day?"

Cal pondered for a moment then glanced skyward. "It was the first time I ever saw the sun."

Malone smiled, "You must be like, solar powered or something then, huh?"

Cal smiled, "Something like that, I suppose."

Malone nodded, "Where you think they came from?"

"I honestly have no idea."

Malone looked at him scrutinizing his features, "Ever think about trying to find out?"

Cal shrugged, "I don't have any idea how to go about that. This woman, in town, she thinks I've got some sort of destiny or something. Claims her family knew my family hundreds of years ago and that this farm was always my families so on and so forth…I think she's crazy."

"Whats her name?"

"Lucille Lang, I think."

Malone's eyebrows arched up sharply suddenly. Cal noticed the reaction but didn't say anything.

Luthor's Office:

"So, one of brilliant agents followed the wrong damned trail?" Luthor was livid.

"Yes, Lord Luthor, it looks like it." The latest personal guard of the elite agents said, staying far away from his angry lord.

Luthor paced absently. "No sign of Grayson either, I assume?"

"No sir."

Luthor was extremely displeased. He turned to look out the window for a moment, crossing his arms behind his back. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment. "Tell the agent to kill all of the refugees he just found. Then, dispatch another agent to kill that agent. In the meantime, locate Grayson, you should be able to track him with a tracker on his hover pod. I have a suspicion already. Prepare a contingent of agents, well armed, to move out in a moments notice."

"Yes sir."

Back in Smallville:

Malone had managed to extract himself from young Kent for short while. He needed to go and see Ms. Lang. His kids were also beeping in his ear, in the small receiver he had there. Because of who young Cal Kent was, he didn't take a full receiver ear piece, instead relying on a small mini-beeper.

Malone made his way on his makeshift crutches very slowly. Reaching the door to the small run down store front, he nudged it open with his crutch. He saw no one at first., and wandered as best as he could through the store.

"Can I help you?" The old woman made her way out of the back. Malone half grinned, she did look vaguely reminiscent of her great great great great…etc…grandmother.

"I understand you've been conversing with Mr. Kent about his destiny."

Lucille was taken aback and stared hard at the crippled man. "You've been staying with him, you know what he can do."

"Oh, I know very well what this young man is capable of, even if he doesn't." Malone said. "I also know that this place is not quite fit for a princess, miss Luthor."

She gasped, "You sir, are mistaken."

He smiled, "No, no I'm not. You see, my family has quite the history…and my father and his father and his father all the way back to the golden age when this was the United States of America and police alongside costumed super heroes fought every day to keep us free from the clutches of those such as Lex Luthor. I am well aware of Luthor's marriage to one Lana Lang, your ancestor. Therefore, Luthor is a grandfather to you many generations back…but you already knew that."

"Who are you?"

He leaned in and whispered his real name in here ear. "What I want to know is this…surely, Luthor knows of this place. Why has he not come for you or decimated this place?"

She sighed deeply the absently wiped at her counter top. "Yes, he knows I'm here, as my ancestors before have been for a long time. I am his family, that's the only reason he has not destroyed this place yet. But we have been warned not to even give the appearance of getting in his way or he will come and kill us all, regardless of family lineage."

"So, you've been here, all of your family, all this time…for what?"

"We've been waiting. For him."

Malone nodded. "I had heard all about his great ancestor, of course, but to be in his presence…it does truly give one hope. I just need to try and convince him to accept his destiny." His ear beeper beeped again, then again right afterwards…it was urgent.

"I need to sneak out of the town, do you know of a way?"

She smiled at him, "Of course I do."

She went and removed an old rug from a spot on the floor, revealing a trap door. He glanced at his damaged legs then to the door, arching his eyebrow. "Don't worry," she said, "It's an old freight grain elevator leading to a tunnel underneath with a push cart on rails. You'll be outside in no time."

He nodded his thanks then off he went.

Outside:

Barbara helped her dad into the pod, clearly anxious. "Dad, it's bad. Luthor is on his way here with a massive force. They're going to kill all these people just to get to Kent and to punish you."

Bruce hurried to a console and hit a few buttons. "Oh my…" They would be here in a matter of minutes. He closed his eyes tight and looked out at the darkening sky. He made his way to the cargo section of the pod and typed in a combination to a container there. "Barbara, Gordon, I'm sorry to have to show you this now, under these circumstances, but…"

Barbara glanced to her younger brother, Bruce Gordon Grayson, and grinned. "Dad," the next heir to the name started, "We know."

He glanced at his kids and at first quizzical, but then a slow smile spread over his face. He quickly opened the case, revealing a gray chest plate with a black emblem painted on it. The emblem of a bat.

Later:

Luthor gave no warning, no communication. A hover tank blasted down the gate and four fighter planes streaked over the town. Several dozen elite agents flowed into the town. Energy weapons flared, villagers were killed and buildings shattered.

Over the rooftops, Batman ran. His suit was more mechanical armor, less skintight spandex than his original namesake wore. The mask was now a helmet, complete with deep red mechanical eyes, but still had the trademark ears. The cloak was present, attached at the shoulder. The suit had various interlocking sections; from chest plate to midsection to abdomen pieces then down to the servo-powered legs. The arms also had the assistance of micro servo-motors, granting this new and improved version of the Dark Knight far greater strength. His gauntlets were black and featured the trademark curving blade shapes from the forearm. There was also a long wide slot leading into a chamber on the top, and smaller, square one on the bottom of each forearm. He had a wide black utility belt with a small yellow bat emblem on the buckle.

He dropped behind a building to intercept two agents chasing someone. He kicked the one to the right dead in the solar plexus, dropping him fast then nailed the one on the left dead center in the nose. He grabbed that one behind his head and brought his head down and his knee up right into the forehead, rendering him unconscious.

The first one struggled to stand, drawing his weapon. Batman backhanded the gun from his grip then pulled man forward and head butted him. Grabbing the villager by his wrist, Batman rushed to Lucille's shop.

"Good to see you again," Lucille said.

"Use your tunnel to get these people out of here." He commanded in his gruff voice. Then he was gone back to the streets.

"Yes sir." She said.

He ran down another street, catching a glimpse of a soldier preparing to execute a villager with a bullet in the back of his head. Batman raised his arm towards the soldier making a fist and triggering a firing mechanism sending a small bat shaped blade from the chamber on the top of his forearm. The blade struck the guards hand, forcing him to drop the weapon to the ground.

Batman rushed the man and shoulder slammed him hard in the abdomen then raised him up and slammed him hard into the nearby wall. He fell to the ground unconscious. Batman picked up the pistol and handed it to the villager. "Get yourself and whoever else you can to the antique shop." Then he was gone.

Just Outside of Town:

The explosions and screams were heard even at the Kent farm. "Cal, I'm scared, whats going on?"

He held her close. "I don't know."

As Cal made his way to the driveway, a lone dark figure stood there. Cal slowly approached the oddly dressed man. Gray and black, with a long flowing cloak behind him.

"Who are you?" Cal asked him.

In response, the man slowly raised his hands to the helmet with the massive ears and with a few flicks he slowly removed the helmet. Cal's jaw dropped. "I'm Batman. You're Superman, or the next best thing. There's people in need of our help; We have a job to do."

Back in town:

Luthor strode untouched through the dirty streets. Gunfire rang out all around, but truly there was no battle here. He strode purposefully towards a particular building. A giant old antique sign denoted what this place was for.

He walked in and saw the woman he was coming to see quickly covering a spot on the floor.

"Hello, my child." Luthor said to her, smoothing his long white coat.

Lucille's blood froze in her veins as she turned to see the man. "Luthor."

He glanced around the place, his disdain evident on face. "Where is he?" He said matter of factly.

She shrugged then turned to the counter, pretending to wipe it clean. "I don't know what your talking about." An explosion sounded outside.

Suddenly, he was next to her and gripping her around the throat. She gasped for breath. "I am not a fool, child, I have put up with your ancestors stupidity here out of…obligation…you are standing in my way. Now, where is he?"

She gasped for breath as he continued to squeeze. Then a look of serenity and a slight smile spread over her face. "You're never going to win, Luthor. Not this time. He will stop you." With that, she produced the pair of scissors she had palmed from the counter and jabbed it into his chest. He squeezed harder and crushed her windpipe.

She fell to the ground and he staggered back, withdrawing the scissors from his chest. He clutched at the wound as blood turned his white coat red. He staggered out the door and rushed away, but not before seeing several of his soldiers suddenly sent flying away high overhead through air. Then, a an old rusted piece of metal, forcefully balled up, flew high and smashed through one of the fighter craft, destroying it.

Luthor followed the trajectory. There stood Cal Kent, in simple jeans and old flannel, standing side by side with an armored figure that must be calling himself Batman. Luthor grinned somewhat before making his escape.

Batman proceeded to engage with the foot troops as cal found hurled missiles the throw at the flying machines. Batman dashed here and there, seeming to appear in a number of places at once. Punching, kicking and shooting batarangs. Cal would rush in and help whenever things got too much for Batman.

An old metal pole was sent flying through the air and pierced straight through one of the fighters, it spiraled down to the ground and erupted. A massive resounding blast struck Cal in the chest and sent him flying through the air and smashing into a building. As he extracted himself he saw the massive gleaming silver and black hover tank down the road.

"Batman! Get away!" Cal yelled out. Bruce turned and spotted the machine. He nodded and began wading through the mass of soldiers around him.

Cal rushed to the tank, bracing himself and taking another shot in the chest to shield those behind him. He jumped and grabbed the tank by its cannon. He groaned and exerted all his might to lift the tank from the ground. He spun around and around, then released it and sent the massive thing flying through the air where it smashed into another oncoming fighter erupting in a fireball.

The townsfolk cheered and began rushing into the fray from their hiding spots. They brandished any weapon they could get their hands on. From old rifles, to scrounged weapons from the soldiers to pitchforks and hatchets they rushed the soldiers and gave strength to Batman who was beginning to tire and grow weak under the constant strain.

The tide had turned, Luthor's forces were loosing. Despite his rage and desire, Luthor succumbed to common sense, and the massive amount blood he was loosing, and called for retreat. The soldiers began to back away, rushing towards the personnel carrier waiting nearby. Cal made certain to dispatch the final fighter as it spun to retreat with a simple thrown street pole.

The people cheered, shouting "Cal's is a hero!" Cal stepped up to Batman. His armor showed a great amount of damage; the man had take quite a beating. Cal studied him shortly then offered his hand to the man, who took it heartily.

Batman said, "I hope you realize that your powers do come with a destiny. Luthor won't rest, he never does. Your family…and mine…will be target for assassination now. You only have to accept your destiny, Cal, do what must be done…what the world needs you to do."

"How do I do that?" He asked somberly.

"I know of a place that will help you, but first these people need help rebuilding yet again."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Revelations**

Thanks to Cal's speed and strength and Bruce's know how, it took only a handful of days to complete the repairs on the small town, with a number of improvements just in case Luthors goons returned. Soon, the group-Cal, Bruce, Loren, Barbara, and Gordon- were streaking north in the small hoverpod. Though quarters were cramped, rarely was there an argument, and when there was it usually Gordon and Barbara doing the arguing. The rest of the crew remained mostly quiet.

"Bruce, where are we going?" Loren asked.

"To the arctic. To a place of great importance for young Cal here and his ancestors." Bruce had long ago equipped his small vehicle with high end energy powered rocket boosters. Illegal in Metropolis, they remained hidden in secret on the vehicle. Now though, he was pushing them for all the were worth and the small pod, accustomed to speed less than a hundred was now pushed close to the sound barrier.

Cal broke his long silence as they began to cross into colder climates, snow now apparent on the ground. "So it's true, huh? I'm his descendant. This greatest hero the world has ever known guy."

Bruce glanced over at him. "You know what you can do. You tell me."

Cal looked back to the window. Bruce was now dodging the vehicle through narrow arctic mountain passes. "This place we're going, it's supposed to provide me answers?"

Bruce responded. "I've never been there myself, but it's location, like so many other things I know, have been passed down through my family for many generations. We can't keep any records of anything we know, it's all stored in our heads and we are taught how to fight mental probes and torture techniques to keep it all hidden. That's how important you are. That's how important this all is."

Cal shook his head. "I'm not that important! I'm just an escaped mineworker, Bruce! How can I be expected to save the world?"

Bruce replied, "You are the only person in several hundred years to deal a significant blow to Luthor. Don't you understand that? Superman, your ancestor, knew that this day would come and you, Cal, you are the one that can bring Luthor down for good."

"But I…" Cal began only to be cut of by Loren saying, "Guys, I think we might be here…"

Before them the ground was rumbling. The ice shelf they were over began to crack and shake. Bruce brought the pod to a halt just as icy crystals began to emerge from beneath the surface and slowly rise up. The centuries had not been kind, however, and the old fortress was unable to fully emerge from the icy depths. But it was enough. Bruce brought the pod in close and landed near a small opening.

"Ready to meet your destiny, Cal?" Bruce asked.

Cal rolled his eyes and grumbled beneath his breath. The group exited the vehicle and made their way to the only visible opening, which itself was little more than a small crack. Bruce still wore his Batman armor, sans the helmet, so that he might walk, and had completed some repairs on it since the battle in Smallville so it appeared far less damaged than it had.

"After you," Bruce said to his companion as he gestured to the small opening.

Cal strode hesitantly towards the entrance. The moment he stepped foot inside the place however, everything changed. They entered a large open chamber, with several smaller chambers off to the sides. A slightly raised dais with a crystalline panel sat on the other side of the chamber and what appeared to be a crystal shaped chair sat in front of it on the floor. Suddenly, the crystalline walls began humming with light and energy. The crystal panel on the dais flashed brightly and a holographic projection emanated from atop the crystal throne.

A large man stood before them. Cal and the others took him in from boot to head. He was majestic and imposing all at once, yet somehow all felt at ease and calm before him. His red boots led up to blue leggings. They ended in red shorts belted with a yellow belt. His tight wrist length shirt was the same blue as his leggings. A red cape billowed behind him and a brilliant red 'S' adorned his muscular chest. His face, however, belied the majesty of the rest of his appearance. His cheeks and chin were scruffy with beard growth, and his hair was slightly unkempt. Mostly dark black, gray showed at his temples. His blue eyes, perhaps once brilliant as the stars, showed heaviness, a sadness, which carried the weight of the world.

The holographic man strode forward. "Welcome to the Fortress of Solitude, last son of Krypton…and earths only hope."

Metropolis:

Luthor pored over the requisition list. He had not had these weapon systems in use for several hundred years, yet he knew these particular old weapons were the only things that would be effective against this new old foe. Luthor also had one last trick up his sleeve, if all else failed. He hoped, however, that such a move was unnecessary.

"James, see to it all of these items are located and made immediately ready." He handed the list to the agent standing by in the office. Despite the fact James was not the agents name-in fact this agent was a woman and her name was Shirley- she knew better than to correct him.

The agent turned to leave, "Wait, there is one more thing I need you to find. Well, two if you want to get technical."

"Yes sir, what is it sir?" replied 'James'.

"Super Cryo-containment unit. Go there and locate the specimen labeled D-001M. And I need you to make preparations to transport it to my base in the Adirondacks in secret." Luthor was always scheming, always hedging his bets, but against the likes of this new Superman, he was taking no risks. Even if it meant awakening something such as this.

"Yes sir." 'James' dashed off to do just that.

Back in the Fortress:

"Your him, aren't you? The original I mean. Superman." Cal was in awe.

"Yes, I am. And you are the new and improved version, Cal. I am certain you all have many questions, and I am certain I can answer most. As I record this holo-scan of myself, the three of us that remain are about to enact our final strategy. Diana and I are assaulting Lex's compound in the Himalayas, but Dick Grayson will be the true key to our final victory. As evidenced by the fact you all stand before me now.

"You see, we were blind. We didn't see what was happening before it was too late. Luthor was too smart for that. In secret, he acquired power, money and influence over all the other 'villains' that ever posed a threat to us. He also acquired a number of financial assets. He began breeding soldiers, and rapidly accelerating them. He made bionic improvements, making them stronger and tougher. While we 'heroes' enjoyed an era of relative peace, Luthor was making in roads to our downfall.

"He began plucking us off, one by one we fell. He was smart and started with the less well-known heroes that we might over look. By the time he struck the Titans and the Justice League, we discovered there were very few others remaining. Cyborg and Bruce- the original Batman- were the first major casualties that we truly noticed. I am saddened that we failed to notice the others before it was too late. Let it be known that pride and hubris was in fact our downfall.

"Then the world went crazy. Seemingly all at once, Luthor had a massive army poised at all corners of the earth. He had satellite stations equipped with massive energy weapons. Kara, Zatanna and Green Arrow attempted to bring the satellite control station down. That's when Luthor revealed his Kryptonite powered weapons and machines. Kara and the others were destroyed."

At this point the hologram Superman closed his eyes tight and swallowed hard, then continues. "Lex didn't stop with the heroes. He went after everyone around us. When he destroyed the Daily Planet building…and killed my wife Lois…I nearly broke. It was only with the help of my friends that I did not. Green Lantern and Flash were the next casualties. On and on it went till their remains but us. Myself, Nightwing, and Wonder Woman. We are it.

"Luthor built his fortress in the Himalayas to make use of Ras Al Ghuls' secret- the Lazarus pits. With them in his control, Luthor will be immortal and unstoppable. Lex lacks Ras' mental discipline, however, and the pits take their toll on a mans mind. I know it is well guarded with kryptonite weaponry and we have little chance of succeeding, but we must try. Dick however, will be our salvation. I have sent with him my child, my son Jonathan Jor-El Kent. Dick will not be going with us on our final mission. Diana and I will not be coming back this day. Luthor is attempting to eradicate all vestiges of the heroes family lines. He must not succeed. I see he has not, that the Grayson family has proven itself more than capable of ensuring the future.

"We failed, Cal. We failed ourselves, we failed each other, and we failed the world. You are the world's only hope. You and Batman can fix what we broke. Now, it is time for you to accept your destiny. Step into that chamber over there."

On cue one of the small crystal chambers lit up. Cal turned and looked to Loren then to Bruce, both nodded and smiled. Cal turned and strode into the chamber. Brilliant yellow and white sunlight filled the chamber, scorching his eyes and filling him. His clothes fell away as the machine searched his mind. He felt new clothing wrapping around him. One last brilliant burst and Cal was on his knees. The chamber slid open and he rose slowly and stepped out.

Gone was the unsure Calvin Kent, now before them stood Superman. He wore the blue leggings and shirt, the billowing red cape and 'S' emblem upon his chest. Missing, however, was the red shorts. Instead he wore a wide red belt that dipped to a point in the center buckle highlighted with yellow bands and a yellow 'S' emblem at the buckle. He looked up to an opening in the ceiling and in a flash he flew straight up and into the sky.

The others looked on in astonishment. "He will return shortly." The holographic Superman said. "Grayson…I must thank you for what your family has done for mine all these years. It could not have been easy at times. "

Bruce was quite for a moment. "In truth, sir, We've believed that Luthor was successful in wiping out your family many generations ago. It was only by chance…or fate, that young Cal here came to be."

Superman nodded. "Perhaps, but if not for what you and your family did, we would not be standing her today."

Bruce was looking uncomfortable. "Actually, I have to confess something, sir. The Lazarus pits- they've been shut down long ago."

Superman looked at him quizzically. He was about to ask when they heard the crystalline machine chamber once more working. They turned to see Barbara and Gordon coming out. Barbara wore now a black outfit with armored sections on the thighs, the chest, the shoulders and the forearms. A bat shaped helm also adorned her head and a yellow outline of a bat appeared on her chest. Gordon had on black tight leggings, a dark green tight shirt that ended in black elbow length gloves. A deep red sleeveless and open long coat draped over him. His eyes were covered in a black domino mask and a golden 'R' appeared on the coat above his heart. He held a staff in his hands.

"What are you kids doing?" Bruce yelled.

Superman rested a holographic hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Don't you see, Bruce? Your Batman, and now you have your Batgirl and Robin."

Bruce was about to speak when the kids shut him down. "Dad," Barbara started, "We've known about you for years, and about our past. This is in our blood. We've practiced, both of us, every day while you were working."

As if to illustrate the point, Gordon rushed forward and did a flying somersault, landing in and going low as though ducking, then he did a backwards handspring and landed lightly. "We can do this dad." The young man said.

Just then, Cal-Superman, flew back into the fortress and landed lightly before Loren. He gathered her in his arms without saying a word and held her close. When they separated, he turned to everyone around. "I know what I am capable of now thanks to him, and I know what must be done. Luthor will be ready for us. This will not be easy, but it can be done. He filled me not only with knowledge of my powers but with other knowledge as well, everything he knew, I have access to. We can win this."

Holographic Superman turned his head to the side. "Not a moment too soon, my son."

"What do you mean?"

He projected a holo screen before him from his eyes and on it was displayed a massive force of Luthors army. Dozens of fighter craft and tanks, hundreds of soldiers were progressing into the frozen arctic, en route to the fortress.

Cal grinned and said, "Good, I could use a little workout."


End file.
